


Rise of the Tomb Raiders

by zorlia



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, Tomb Raider (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Except Thor Because he's Special, In Which Everyone Is Lara Croft, Rating May Change
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-01-28
Updated: 2016-01-28
Packaged: 2018-05-16 19:17:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,284
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5837746
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zorlia/pseuds/zorlia
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When his father died Tony set off to find the lost city of the Yamatai. Unfortunately he found it.</p><p>Or: The Tomb Raider AU no one wanted.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

_Tony sat on the sofa with his head thrown back. It was pounding with the hangover from the previous day. He had tried to get drunk enough that he wouldn't remember anything. Unfortunately he failed and still had to deal with a hangover from hell._

_So not fair._

_Groaning in pain, Jesus it hurt to even think, Tony wondered if he just lied down on the sofa he would be able to sleep it off. He slowly slid down until he was in a horizontal position in an attempt to do just that. After a few moments of just lying there, Tony began to feel the weight of the last few weeks lift away._

_"Tony?" Only for them to come crashing back down. Heavy footsteps approached as Obie walked into the room. Tony contemplated ignoring the older man, but before he could finish the thought Obie spoke again._

_"Tony I know your awake. I don't plan to stay here long, I just wanted to see if you were okay and to give you this." Tony sighed and looked up at Obie. The man was in one of his crisp suits and held a small cardboard box in his hands._

_"Ooh, goodie, presents. Just what every person wants after a funeral." Tony mumbled tiredly. Obie rolled his eyes and sat the box on the table beside the sofa. Despite his killer headache and the general feeling of not wanting to move Tony sat up and looked through the box's contents. So he was curious, sue him._

_"I know this is a hard time for you, but I thought you would want to look through them." Tony picked up what looked to be a beat up book from the box. When thumbing through it he was surprised to see his father's handwriting staring up at him. It wasn't a book, it was one of Howard's journals._

_Thunder boomed in the distance and Tony felt the world melt away._

Tony stark rolled out of his bed and landed on the cold floor with a thunk. After staring at the ceiling in a sleepy haze for a few moments his mind rebooted and he became aware of the shouting and banging at his door.

"Keep your fucking pants on I'm coming!" Thankfully the noise stopped. Sighing in relief Tony got up and quickly got dressed. He decided to ignore his dream/memory, not wanting to remember that particular week in his life. Instead he focused his mind on what was about to happen

They must have just come up onto the edge of the Dragon's Triangle and it was time to decide their next step. Of course Tony knew what the next step should be, the island they're looking for is somewhere within the Triangle. Of course, having no proof of this was going to make it hard to convince the others. Well, they didn't call Tony a charmer for nothing.

Tony flashed a grin in the mirror and exited his room.

* * *

 The small kitchen was filled with the smells of the stew Bruce had made. All of the main crew were inside and with Thor's enthusiastic cheering for the game playing on the radio it made Tony feel a little claustrophobic.

It didn't help that he and Tiberius Stone were at odds to where the expedition should go next.

"Listen, I get that you're a big shot and couldn't care less about this trip, but I know I'm right." Tony snapped, fed up with the older man. Tiberius scowled down at Tony in contempt.

"I can't believe you don't think I'm serious about this expedition! Fujikawa is not the only one funding this. I've put my money on the line as well." Tony only just kept himself from rolling his eyes.

"Is it the money, or your reputation that you're more worried about?" He asked with a sharp grin. Tiberius gave a tight lipped smile of his own when he replied.

"Both."

"We all have some kind of stake in this, the funding won't last forever. Time is running out." The two men looked over at Natasha. The red haired Russian translator sat at the table with her bowl of stew looking calm as can be.

Tony never could get a good read on her.

Beside her Clint was trying to balance a spoon on the tip of his finger. Tony didn't really know what the man's purpose on the expedition was, other than being an annoying alarm clock. Tony knew that Barton was the one at his door earlier and was slowly planning his demise.

"Exactly! That's why we can't waste our time chasing false leads." But first Tony was going to destroy Tiberius. The blonde man sneered down at Tony, much to the younger man's annoyance. Just because he had more experience in the field did not mean he was right. Tony decided to tell him just that.

"Listen up Fred Jones, cause I'm not telling you again. When Himiko and her people fled from Japan they followed this path." Tony traced a line Southeast of Japan on the map. "Most people believe that in order to throw off the guys chasing them they made a sudden change of plans and turned their ships to the east, back to Europe. What I'm saying is that they're right, and wrong at the same time." No one was listening to him. Tiberius was shaking his head in exasperation and everyone else were minding their own business. Despite this Tony continued because he did. Not. Care. He was right dammit, and he did have proof.

"A passenger, a villager, had wrote that several of the ships were separating. In other words, a couple of the ships went back to Europe to distract the armies following them and allow the rest to continue their course, leading to the Dragon's Triangle." He glared back up at Tiberius, daring him to refute the evidence. The blonde scoffed instead of agreeing however.

"A small passage from a journal written by a child crippled with a severe fever who wrote down her hallucinations and died a few days later. Yes, I know of you so called 'proof'." The sarcasm was so thick Tony could almost taste it. It pissed him off. The smirk on Stone's face didn't help at all.

"Face it. You're wrong, and as lead archeologist on this I say we go West like originally planned." It was so tempting to go over and punch the smug look off the man's face. Instead Tony sat in his chair heavily, glowering at the table. Across from Tony Bruce pushed a bowl of the stew to him. Tony gave him a smile in thanks and accepted it. There were times that Tony only really liked the scientist out of the whole crew

Of course, with Bruce being a close friend even before the whole trip might have something to do with that. The two had met in college and bonded over their mutual love over science. Bruce was a quiet man with curly brown hair and sad eyes. He didn't have a lot of friends with his temperament. When getting too stressed or angry Bruce could explode into a cursing ball of destruction. Tony actually found it humorous, seeing the normally shy man swearing like a sailor at and throwing glass beakers at the wall to vent.

Tiberius was still planning out what he expected to be the next step to the expedition. It made Tony grit his teeth in frustration. How was Stone's 'leads' any more credible than Tony's? He had less facts and proof than Tony did. Grumbling to himself Tony started to eat, tuning out the other man's voice.

"I gotta question for you Stone." Tiberius stopped and turned to James 'Bucky' Barnes with a raised eyebrow. The grumpy brown haired man sat next to Steve Rogers at the counter, dark eyes staring back at Tiberius. Bucky was an odd character among the bunch. He came with Steve, a blonde Adonis of muscle and a boy scout attitude. They were supposed to keep everyone alive in the field in case anything happened.

Or in other words Pepper refused to let Tony go off on an adventure without someone with military training and survival skills. Fun killer that she is.

Bucky was a quiet guy, even more so than Bruce which was a feat Tony thought impossible. The guy rarely talked and liked to glare at anyone that tried to make conversation. He obviously liked Steve out of everyone best, for the same reasons that Tony liked Bruce, and always agreed with the blonde's decisions.

He was leaning against the counter, his mismatched arms crossed over his chest. The silver of the prosthetic gleamed where what little was exposed. All in all he looked every bit as the intimidating badass that Chuck Norris wished he could pull off.

"Yes, what is it Barnes?" Tiberius asked, looking bored of the conversation already. Bucky remained silent for a moment, before letting a slightly terrifying grin on to his face.

"Just when was the last time you were in the field without the cameras?" Clint, who had almost gotten the spoon to balance, snorted as he chuckled. Tony felt his mouth curl up into a smile and saw a similar smirk on Natasha's face.

"Just what is that supposed to mean?" Tiberius hissed, eyes narrowed. Amusement sparking in his eyes Bucky looked like he'd be glad to explain exactly he meant. He would have too, if Steve hadn't of interrupted.

"Listen, Dr. Stone, maybe Mr. Stark has a point." If Steve thought that was going to work, then he had another thing coming. Just like with Tony Tiberius shot the option down.

"Don't you start too! The books don't support the Yamatai going that far East!" He shouted over the sudden noise of cheering from the radio. Clint dropped the spoon to the table with a clatter, yawning.

"Yeah, but the dudes who wrote those books didn't find the magical city of whatever right?" He asked. Tony would have thought he was just give a bored opinion with the way he said it, but the sharp look in his hazel eyes belayed that. He knew exactly what he was talking about.

Tony glanced around the room, seeing that everyone was paying attention to the current subject to his surprise. Well, maybe they were paying attention earlier.

"I will follow you wherever our journey takes us, but I must warn you my friends." Thor began, the large man who normally had the personality of a puppy oddly somber looking.

"The Triangle of Dragons is a dangerous place for those who wish to venture its waters. None have survived the her storms and I'm afraid the sea will try to sink us as well." Thor crossed his arms and nodded his head, seeming to have said his peace. The room fell silent Thor's words running through all their minds. Rumiko looked to Bruce with a worried look.

"Is the Dragon's Triangle that bad?" She asked. Bruce shrugged, taking a look at Tony's computer that was showing the satellite image of the triangle and its weather on the screen.

"I'm not a meteorologist, but all that red does not look good." He said, turning the computer around to show the others. The triangle was a giant blob of reds and yellows that didn't look to inviting. Despite this, Tony found the fact to be a point in his favor.

"It's said by her people that Himiko had the power to control storms, and we all know that myths are based on a sliver of truth. They somehow survive the storms and make it to land. Her subjects have to assume she had godly powers at the miracle." Tony said, sending a pointed look to Tiberius.

Stone looked all around him in disbelief. "You can't be seriously thinking about this? Stark is a hack who has no experience and you are siding with his crackpot idea?" He shouted, utterly surprised. It warmed Tony's little cold heart to the bones.

"Let's put it to a vote. We have two choices here. We can continue course to the Triangle, or head back West. Mr. Stark has new evidence and a fresh plan that could be completely wrong and waste our time." Harsh but true, Tony thought to himself as Steve talked.

"Dr. Stone has more experience and the complied evidence of a dozen of others who thought the same thing." Tiberius gritted his teeth at the description, glaring at Steve. This in turn got him the death stare from Bucky, something that Tony did not envy.

"Those who want to head for the Triangle, raise your hand." Steve ordered, raising his own hand. Bucky raised his right hand, then Bruce, Clint, Natasha, Thor, and Rumiko did the same. Sending a victorious grin to Tiberius Tony raised his own hand.

"Looks like it's unanimous. I win." Was it childish? Yes. Was it worth it? Absolutely.

Tiberius shot them all angry looks, grabbing his own bowl of stew. "Why am I even here?" He asked, walking out of the room. Tony rolled his eyes at the exit.

"Geeze such a drama queen." He sighed, shrugging with a 'what can you do?' look. Bruce sighed and gave him a tired smile. Steve came forward and focused on the map.

"Tell me what your plan is Mr. Stark." Tony really wished that Steve would stop calling him that. It was kinda annoying.

"You need to stop calling me that. I feel like I'm fifty when you say Mr. Stark." From Bruce's amused expression Tony figured that his impression of Steve wasn't as spot on as he thought.

"Call me Tony."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's the first chapter done. I hope you all enjoyed it and that I didn't screw up the characterization (my god that is a large word and did I even spell it right?) of anyone. Especially Tony. Because he is surprisingly hard person for me to write.
> 
> Anyway, thanks for taking the time to read this.


	2. Chapter 2

Clint regretted his recent life choices. When Nat had said she was going to go on some trip to the middle of the ocean and he decided to tag along, he wasn't expecting much. He figured it would just be a vacation with nerds geeking out over old stuff. He didn't expect was only two nerds, one giant douche with a camera guy, a rich brat, two super soldiers (because what else could they be with those muscles?), and a giant who liked to talk like he was part of a Shakespeare play.

When he decided to vote for the lead nerd's plan instead of the douche's it was more because Stone was an asshole than Clint actually caring where the ship went. So, knowing that the Triangle was bad mojo or whatever Thor had said, Clint expected the bad weather that was heading their way. He thought it would be giant waves and high winds, but nothing the ship couldn't handle.

Clint has never been so wrong in his life.

The blonde had been relaxing in his room when the main lights went out, leaving the creepy glare of the red emergency lights. Before Clint really had any time to put any thought into the fact they had lost power, the ship rocked heavily to the side. Caught unaware, he was thrown out of his bed fell to the floor harshly. Groaning in pain Clint pulled himself up and stumbled to the door. He stepped out of his room, planning to yell at whoever was steering this damn thing. 

Those plans were shot when he saw the water rushing down the corridor. Adrenaline pumping Clint ran the opposite direction of the water. The ship continued to rock from side to side, throwing off his balance and making him slam into the walls as he tried to get away.

He made it all the way to a ladder that led topside, only for the door hatch at the top to not open. The water was filling up quickly, taking away any breathing room and Clint was beginning to feel his lungs constrict from holding his breath for so long. He kept trying to open the damn hatch but the door refused to open.

So. Life choices. Clint regrets some. Or well, a lot, but the most recent one was following Nat on this ridiculous trip that was supposed to be a boring vacation. It was not supposed to be where he drowned to fucking death.

Just as he was beginning to lose consciousness the hatch was open and Clint was heaved out of the water. He collapsed onto the ground and coughed up water from his lungs. Rogers was yelling at him to move it, and for a moment he wondered where it was he wanted  Clint to move to. They were in the middle of the fucking ocean, where could he move to?

Then the moment was gone and Clint came back down to earth and realized why he had to move. The ship was sinking and the life rafts were at the other end of the deck. Scrambling onto his feet he followed Rogers to the others.

It was in the next moment that Clint wondered if he had pissed off some higher form of being. All of a sudden there was a loud cracking noise and between Rogers and Clint a gap was forming. Their ship wasn't only sinking, it was doing it in the style of the Titanic. The gap between them grew as Clint tried to figure out what exactly he was supposed to do now.

Rogers stood on the other side and was shouting at him. "YOU HAVE TO JUMP BARTON! JUMP ACROSS!" The wind nearly made it impossible to hear the guy, but Clint got the message. Jump, or die. Simple really.

"Easy for you to say." He mumbled, narrowing his eyes on the trajectory that he would need to get across. After a split second of mapping it out in his mind Clint backed up quite a ways. Closing his eyes he evened his breathing and focused on his target. The world slowed down around him, the wind was pushing against him, trying to send Clint overboard. Rain pelted down from the sky so cold and hard it felt like ice. Rogers was still screaming at him to hurry up and jump.

After calming himself Clint opened his eyes and ran for it, using every last piece of the floor that he could. At the last possible second Clint pushed off of the sinking ship and jumped to the other side. He flew through the air, like he had wings, and landed just on the edge of the other side. Clint couldn't help a smug grin. He never missed.

Of course after thinking that what was left of the ship jerked and Clint fell backwards, toward the water. Before falling into the water a hand grabbed his arm. Looking up in surprise Clint saw the brightest blue eyes he had ever seen. Rogers was leaning over the edge, holding onto Clint with one arm to keep him from falling. The strain was obvious, despite being a super soldier, Clint wasn't a lightweight himself and it must be hell on his arm to hold onto Clint like this.

Clint tried to grab onto Steve's arm with his other hand and climb up, but the wind kept knocking his balance off. In the end, the combination of the rain, wind, and the sweat on both of their palms sealed Clint's fate. He slipped and watched as horror filled those blue eyes before hitting the water.

It was impossible to try and find his way up, the current was too strong and Clint was pushed in every direction except for up before hitting his head on something hard. He blacked out for a bit, and only came to later on the shore of some island. Disoriented, he stumbled when getting up and looked around. It was dark, but not that far away there was a light. The others had made it to shore in the life rafts and were trying to treat the injured.

"Thor get me my bag! Dr. Stone if your not going to help get out of the way." Bruce was shouting, as Stone stood off to the side and looked to be talking to himself. It might not be the whole crew or Nat, but they wouldn't be far behind. Clint began to walk in their direction.

Behind him he heard the sound of sand being crunched under a shoe. Turning Clint tried to see if any of the other life rafts landed nearby. The beach was empty. Nothing was there. He must have a concussion or something that was making him hear things. Yet, it wasn't just the sound that had him jumpy. Clint could feel something watching him.

"STONE WOULD YOU JUST GO THE FUCK AWAY?" The enraged scream from Bruce echoed from behind Clint, reminding him to meet up with the others. After taking another look around the beach he turned, heading back to the others.

Only to run into someone's fist, knocking him out a second time that night. There was no way that Nat wasn't going to tease him about that later on.

* * *

 Clint later regained consciousness and was immediately disoriented. He had somehow managed to go from standing on the beach to hanging upside down, hogtied and wrapped like pig in a blanket. His face was covered in dirt and mud, telling him that he was dragged from point A to point B. That, or whoever kidnapped him decided to paint his face.

Beside him was a cloth covered lump that hung from the ceiling, and Clint had a feeling that he wouldn't like what was under the dirty fabric. Getting dizzy from the blood rushing to his head Clint began to looked around a bit more as he struggled in his binds. Whoever it was that tied him must have been a fucking eagle scout because there was no way he was getting himself untied.

Behind the other body bag was a tiny alcove that was filled to the brim with red candles. Seeing them gave Clint an idea, but he didn't know if it would work. In order to test it, he swung his body from side to side and nocked the bag into the candles. The cloth caught on fire instantly and burned the rope holding it up, causing it to fall to the ground.

Watching it fall Clint came to realize that the ground was not as solid as he had previously thought. It was only a loose piece of wood that bridged a hole underneath that led deep underground. The flaming bag knocked the board out and left Clint with a twenty foot drop. Eyeing both the drop and the candles Clint wondered if he really wanted to go through with his plan.

"This is going to hurt like hell." He grumbled, beginning to swing back and forth again. It took a few moments, but soon he was able to get enough force to get his body to ram into the candles, lighting the tarp that he was wrapped in on fire. Pain flared all over his body as the fire burned through the fabric and reached his body. Like the other body bag the rope holding him up was burned through, sending him careening towards the ground.

When he fell he remembered from his time in the circus to loosen his muscles and relax his body. Clint tilted his body to the left and hit the ground on his side, rolling into it. It still hurt like hell, like he thought it would, and his entire left side was sore. Groaning in pain he sat up and looked around. The hole was dark, and the floor was covered in bones and bugs. Off to the side, Clint eyed a sharp pointed metal rod sticking out of the ground. He grimaced at it, knowing that he'd be in deep trouble if he landed on his other side.

He yanked it out of the ground and pocketed it. If he encountered whoever it was that tied him up Clint was going to throw it into the man's eye. Clint saw a pathway with a light and followed it, having no where else to go. The light was coming from a makeshift lantern made from a metal pot filled with lit wood.

Clint didn't pay it much attention though with what was just beyond the lantern itself. A woman's dead body was tied spread eagled, surrounded by rows and rows of lit red candles. Behind her on the wall was a chalk drawing of a being that gazed on at the gruesome sight.

"What the fuck?" He gasped, gagging at the smell alone. He kept as much distance from the body as possible as he headed for the room's only exit. A lit torch was wedged between a crack in the wall and Clint grabbed it, using the light to see in the darkness. Luckily he did, otherwise he wouldn't have seen two lines of glass bottles hanging from the ceiling. An alarm system no doubt.

All the evidence pointed to that these caves were lived in, if not regularly visited. So, Clint was not alone.

Ahead the path was blocked by a pile of boxes piled up high. Clint moved them, glad to find them empty and therefore light enough from him to lift with one hand. When he Cleared the path he could hear a voice sound out from behind him. His attacker had found Clint missing.

Clint followed the path to a small crack in the wall that was just large enough for Clint to slip through. A stream of water fell from above like a waterfall and put out the flame on the torch. Cursing he looked around, finding himself in some storage room. Wooden shelves and stands that contained food and bottled water were everywhere. On top of the largest shelf were more empty boxes, netting, and a large red barrel.

Above the barrel a wooden beam ran the length of the room, a white tarp was rolled up and tied to it like a sail on a pirate ship. Clint jumped up onto one of the smaller shelves and then lifted himself up onto the wooden beam. He slowly walked across it like a balance beam all the way to the other side.

It was too cluttered for him to get down, but behind all of the junk was a small opening to a crawl space. There wasn't enough time for him to knock everything down. Whoever it was that tied him up was going to look for him, and it wouldn't be long before they found him if he didn't keep moving. He was trying to find a way to get to the crawl space when he noticed something on the red barrel.

There was a sticker on the side that warned of highly flammable contents. Interesting. Clint turned back to the lantern near the opening, an idea forming in his head. A bad idea that was just as likely to kill him as it was save him, but it was his only chance of getting out of there. If he could light the tarp on fire, the flames would burn the length of the cloth and then move onto the wood surrounding the barrel. With the fire next to the barrel, the whole thing should blow.

He jumped back down to the ground an snatched the unlit torch from earlier. Putting one end into the fire of the lantern he eyed the entrance anxiously. The sooner he got this done the better. When the end was lit he climbed back on to the smaller shelf and approached the tarp. Just as he was about to light it up, he had a moment to think of the stupidity of his situation.

First the ship decided to split in two and leave them all stranded on some island, then he gets kidnapped and stranded up next to an alter like some human sacrifice. Now he's about to cause a large explosion in a small area, alerting to anybody down there with Clint just where he was. It was like he was in a freaking Indiana Jones movie or something.

Then the moment was over and he touched the end of the torch to the tarp. Like with the cloth that was wrapped around Clint earlier the tarp burned quickly and Clint didn't have much time to get cover before it reached the other side. He quickly scrambled to find cover as the fire licked at the edges of the barrel.

The barrel exploded, shaking the foundations of the small cave.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And there goes chapter two! Clint was easier to write than Tony, thankfully. I hope I didn't make him out of character or anything, one of my major fears when writing fanfiction of any genre. Oh well. 
> 
> Also, I didn't have Clint get stabbed in the side like Lara because I figured that with his background that he would know how to properly fall from a large height, unlike Lara. She fell face forward, not turning to the side to protect her arms and head. Which, in all likely hood she would have broken her arms right there. The fact that he turned to the side made it so he avoided the spike altogether.
> 
> With that said, thank you all for taking the time to read this.


	3. Neverland's Forest

Everything had gone to shit. Bucky knew that this job was a bad idea. Going off to the middle of nowhere in the ocean to find a lost civilization that may not even exist was _not a good idea Steve_. But did the punk listen to him? No, of course not. He was going to sign up with or without Bucky, and that left him no real choice. Someone had to keep his ass out of trouble.

And did Steve attract trouble like a damn magnet. First the ship got wrecked from the storm, and they all had to escape in the life rafts. The two girls were sent off first, then Thor and the doc, and Stone with his cameraman. That left Steve, Bucky, Barton, and Stark to try and cram themselves into the last raft. The storm had blew away any of the remaining rafts.

"NO!" Bucky swerved at the scream. Steve was leaning over the edge like an idiot, reaching over the side like he was trying to catch a fish. Stark was trying yank Steve back and failing. Cursing Bucky went over there and hauled Steve up and away from the edge, shoving him and Stark back to the rafts. A glance to the other half the ship showed that Barton wasn't there, and Bucky immediately understood what had happened. Barton had jumped and missed. He was most likely dead, the currents were too strong to fight against.

Despite sounding like a heartless bastard it actually was better that way. Three people in one of those little rafts was pushing it as it was, four would have made it near impossible to survive. The three men got into the last raft and jumped ship, losing themselves to the strong currents. It was little like being on the twirl-a-whirl at Coney Island back home, just with more water and less laughter. They were in the water for what felt like forever, the raft being pushed around every which way by the waves.

Eventually they washed up on a beach, the others nowhere in sight. With the storm still in full swing they needed to find cover until it passed. Steve looked like he got ahold of himself, the shock of Barton's death put to the back burner. While it was a good thing Bucky knew that it was going to tear him apart later. The circumstances were a little too close to home, for either of them.

Bucky grabbed Stark who was shivering from the cold, and followed Steve into the forest ahead. Stark had quickly yanked his arm out of Bucky's grip, muttering that he didn't need to be manhandled. Bucky rolled his eyes and ignored him, prepared to drag the idiot if he started to fall behind. Luckily for the both of them Stark kept up, but unfortunately he wouldn't be quiet.

"I knew that the storms were bad in the Triangle but this was off the charts. We're lucky we didn't capsize like the Poseidon. Not that being stuck on Gilligan's Island is much better." Stark babbled as they walked. It was like he was trying to stay warm by the sound of his voice alone. Bucky couldn't blame him for it, the cool air hitting their soaked bodies was a good way of getting hypothermia. And given that it was Steve and Bucky's job to keep everyone alive (too late now) it would be bad if they let the guy keel over on their watch.

"Steve, we need to make camp." Bucky said, keeping an eye out for a good spot to rest for the night. Steve didn't answer him, which was odd. Bucky glanced over to his friend. Steve looked fine initially, but Bucky could tell that he was focused inward. Cursing inwardly he clapped his prosthetic hand on Steve's shoulder and squeezed.

"Hey, whatever you're thinking stop. What happened back there wasn't your fault." Steve shook off his hand and shot Bucky an angry glare. Bucky met it head on, refusing to look away.

"He fell Bucky, I couldn't keep a hold on him. I let him fall, just like-" He broke off, voice breaking. Bucky felt guilt twinge in his chest. That mission had gone to shit just as fast and just as quickly then too. Bucky put his hand back on Steve's shoulder and squeezed it harder.

"I'm alive Steve, and what happened was not your fault. Not then, and not now." He said, hoping it get through the punk's thick skull. Beside them Bucky noted that Stark had stopped and watched them. Bucky kept his gaze on Steve his blue eyes filled with guilt.

"Weeell, as much as I want to see Captain America and the Terminator stare romantically into each other's eyes, I'd like to do it out of the pouring rain. So, wanna move it elsewhere?" There was just something about Stark's cocky tone that ticked Bucky off. Bucky turned around and got ready to tell Stark to fuck off, only to seem him standing next to a spot that would work perfectly for a campsite.

Unfuckingbelievable.

"We can't waste any more time. Bucky, you and Stark need to go find wood to make a shelter. I'll get the firewood." Steve stepped away as he gave the orders. He avoided Bucky's eyes as he walked off to get the firewood. Growling in frustration Bucky walked over to Stark, pushing past him roughly.

"Wipe the grin off your face." He snarled, heading to a tree with a low enough branch he could reach. He set to work breaking it off, taking his anger out on the wood. Stark came up beside him and leaned against the tree, watching Bucky work.

"That arm of yours, what brand is it?" Bucky paused at the odd question, side eyeing the other man with an arched brow. Normally he'd tell the guy to go screw himself, but from his time on the ship he knew that Stark would only bug him until he answered.

"Hammer. What does that have to do with getting wood?" Tony shrugged, a lecherous smile on his face.

"Oh, so many ways I could take that phrasing. But, to answer your question that arm being Hammer tech has everything to do with, _getting wood_ " Stark waggled his eyebrows suggestively. Bucky gave him an unimpressed look and turned back to what he was doing. Stark pouted at the reaction.

"Okay, ouch. I know it wasn't my best but wow. Nothing? Not even the Disappointed Face of Doom your best buddy has going on?" Bucky let out a snort, yanking the branch off the tree. Setting it down he looked back over at Stark.

"No one can pull off that look but Stevie." The punk had mastered that look back when they were both runts running around the back alleys of Brooklyn. It was one of the reason's Steve got into so many fights. Stark picked up the branch and followed Bucky to another tree.

"Yeah I can believe that. It's like a superpower or something." Stark joked as Bucky repeated the process of pulling off another branch. The wind picked up for a moment, sending shivers down Bucky's spine. They had to hurry.

"But, back to point. Your wonderfully horrible arm. Wonderful by the design concept, horrible by the execution. Hammer, eugh." Stark shivered either from the cold or from revulsion. Bucky assumed it was the latter, from the look on his face. He pulled down the branch and handed it to Stark and gave him a warning stare. His arm was a subject he wasn't open to talking about, not with him. Hell, he had trouble talking to Steve about it half the time.

"I could build better stuff than Hammer in my sleep. I've actually done this in fact. I'm willing to bet that you don't have touch sensitivity and that our little dive into the water messed it up. Am I wrong?" The next branch broke with a loud snap when Bucky pulled at it harder.

"Drop it." he snarled, shoving the branch at the shorter man. Stark's eyebrows rose but he didn't bring it back up. It took some time but eventually they set up camp, the three huddled next to the fire. Steve didn't look as morose as he did earlier, so Bucky figured he got his head screwed on straight. That was good. They'd all need to be in their right minds if they were going to survive out there and find the others.

* * *

The next day was better, the sky showing no sign of the previous night's storm. Bucky was cleaning out the water in his guns so they wouldn't be damaged the next time he shot them. Stark had walked off earlier to do God knew what. Bucky didn't know or care what. Steve was putting out the fire, looking up every now and then. His eyebrows were furrowed and his darted around their surroundings. Bucky sighed, putting the cartridge back and moving on to the next gun.

"Stop worrying Steve. The brat will be back sooner or later. We need to focus on what's important. Food, water, and finding the others." Steve sighed and sat down beside Bucky, looking at his hands.

"Bucky, I'm sorry." Bucky frowned and gave Steve a confused face. What the hell was he talking about?

"Steve-"

"I insisted we take the job. I ignored you and dragged you into this." Steve talked over Bucky, still looking down at his hands. Bucky pursed his lips and went back to cleaning his guns out. He thought about the day Steve had mentioned the job he had found.

_"Wait, I'm gonna need you to run that by me again Stevie. I had to of heard you wrong." Bucky was lounging on the beat of sofa in their apartment. Steve was in the kitchen, cooking dinner._

_"There was an ad on Craigslist for one or more people with either military background or survival training, preferably both. I checked it out, and a group of archeologists are going to look for a lost city and need someone there to help keep them safe in the field." Steve repeated, not seeming to realize just how stupid he sounded. Bucky sat up and gave his best friend an incredulous look._

_"Steve, it's Craigslist. Stalkers and axe murderers are on there! There's no way it's legit." No, more likely it was a scam to take what little money they had, something that they could not afford to happen. Money was tight after returning from the service. The cost of Bucky's prosthetic and the physical training had burned a hole in their pockets. Now they were lucky to make the month's rent._

_"I told you Bucky, I checked it out. I talked with a Ms. Potts, and she explained that the expedition had little funding, but if it were to be a success the pay off would be big. We'd get paid whether or not they found the city, and the pay is nice." Steve turned the stove off before turning around. His face was tired and strained._

_"It's the only way we can pay off the rest of your medical bills and keep the apartment. Trust me."_

Bucky snapped out of the memory at the sound of Stark returning. He had a manic grin on his face and was looking like Christmas had come early. Bucky and Steve shared looks of confusion as he approached.

"You would not believe what I had just found. Look." Stark shoved his hand out, a small Asian coin resting in the center of his palm. No getting why it was so important Bucky looked back up at Stark with a scowl.

"What about it? It's just a coin." Stark gaped for a moment, his mouth opening and closing like a fish. It really hilarious actually. Stark snapped out of it at Bucky's amused grin and sat on the ground beside him. He brought up his hand again and pointed to the markings on the coin.

"This is dated as Meiji six, the 1800s. That puts it within the same time period as Queen Himiko's rule! There's a chance that the lost city is on this island!" When neither Bucky or Steve reacted to the news Tony leaned back with a frown.

"How are you not sharing in the enthusiasm here? This is like Hansel and Gretel's breadcrumb trail to Atlantis. The whole reason we came here." He asked. Steve, who had that familiar tick in his jaw that told Bucky he was about to do something stupid, glared at Stark.

"The whole reason why we came here? It doesn't matter any more Stark. The ship is gone, we're separated from the others and Barton is dead. And all you care about is your stupid city?" Steve's voice started out quiet and steadily got louder until he was shouting, jumping to his feet. Stark stared up at Steve at the outburst, and Bucky swore he saw a flicker of something but the man blinked and it was gone, replaced by a twisted grin and cold eyes. Stark got up on his feet as well and feigned a disinterested look.

"Yeah, that's all I care about. My stupid city. Because its not like I don't have any other friends on the crew. Or that I'm able to do anything about Barton or the fact I've been stranded on an island with a cyborg and his pal who has a stick so far up his ass he might as well be a sign post!" Stark shouted back, meeting Steve's glare head on. He didn't back down or look intimidated by Steve despite the blonde being over a head taller than him. It sorta reminded Bucky of Steve back when they were kids. The scrawny punk would pick a fight with any bully no matter how much bigger they were.

Before Steve could reply to Stark Bucky stood up and stepped between them.

"We don't have time for this. We should head back to the life raft and grab the emergency pack it came with. We didn't take it with us last night. After that we're going to head West. The ship crashed that way and the others might have landed over there. So if you're done?" Bucky gestured to the way they came, hoping they would just drop it and do as he said.

Luckily they did, and the trio returned to the raft. Once the pack was recovered they hiked West like Bucky suggested. The trip was silent, an odd thing considering Stark was the loudest chatterbox Bucky knew. A glance behind him showed the young man looking over the coin, oblivious to his surroundings. Bucky sighed.

He could understand why Stark was so happy about the possibility of the city being on the island. He had put a big gamble on the whole trip, they all had really. And who were they to judge how he dealt with Barton's death?

Bucky was about to tell them both how stupid they were being when the shot rang out.


End file.
